Catholic archbishop, b. Goldach, Switzerland. He was educated at the Univ. of Innsbruck, Austria, ordained in the priesthood in 1871, and in the same year migrated to the U.S. to serve as professor of theology at Seton Hall College, South Orange, N.J. (1871-1889). He studied law in Rome (1889-1890), was awarded a D.C.L. degree in 1890, and from 1890 to 1892 was professor of canon law at the Catholic Univ. of America (Washington, D.C.). In 1892 he was consecrated Bishop of Green Bay, served in this capacity (1892-1903), and in Nov., 1903, became Archbishop of Milwaukee, holding this position until his death. Known as a conservative churchman, Messmer shunned the labor movement as being tinged with socialism. Although sometimes criticized for alleged pro-Germanism, and openly critical of justification for U.S. entry in World War I, Messmer vigorously supported the war effort after America entered the conflict. Many of the charges of pro-Germanism against Messmer grew out of an intra-Church struggle in which Polish Catholics were demanding greater representation in the hierarchy, and the feeling was intensified when Messmer forbade Catholics in his diocese to support the Kuryer Polski. Following the war, nationalistic tensions lessened. Throughout his career as archbishop, Messmer continued to edit and translate books and articles for Catholic publications, and contributed numerous articles to church and secular periodicals. He actively supported educational and welfare activities in Wisconsin, and endorsed the social thought of the Deutsch Romisch Katholische Centralverein and the American Federation of Catholic Societies. A rugged and striking figure, Messmer was bored with pomp and punctilio, and was known for the brusque quality yet personal warmth of his character. He died while visiting in Goldach, Switzerland. Dict. Amer. Biog.; Who's Who in Amer., 16 (1930); B. J. Blied, Three Archbishops of Milwaukee (Milwaukee, 1955); Milwaukee Journal, Aug. 5, 1930; Social Justice Review, 45:85-89 (June, 1952).Learn More
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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]
